GREENWALA MEMBER CONFESSIONS -- HOW EXTREME DO YOU GO GREEN?

Back in my pre-teen years, I would occasionally visit with my crunchy-granola-tree-hugging Aunt Kathy, a wild-eyed, excessively-rouged woman with a passion for herbal medicine, rescued animals, whole foods and earth-friendly practices. Entering her household was like being sucked through a wormhole into a motley, thrift-store-like environment where frothy, algae-green-tinted watermelon rind juice smoothies were as commonplace as the sight of caged, convalescing rodents on her kitchen table.

Clear, mismatched spice and jelly jars filled with mysterious herbal powders and tinctures cluttered her countertops along with Chinese medicine tomes and sturdy cardboard boxes of deeply-discounted, half-rotted produce that she would whiz through her juicer on a daily basis. Errant carob pods (which she used for her holistic dog treat business), clear bags filled with raw apricot pits and stacks of smoothed-out, recycled brown paper bags rounded out the scene.

She, of “natural,” “holistic,” and “earth-friendly” mind, lived a lifestyle which, back in the late 70s, was somewhat extreme (or extremely nutty if you asked my father). While the rest of the population plowed through resources like there was no tomorrow, she carried a basic canvas bag during every outing, preached the virtues of a meatless, unprocessed, whole food diet, and always seemed to find an imaginative new purposes for items that normal people would deem garbage-worthy. In today’s world, although “going green” is not only a trend but an environmental necessity, we all have the option to choose the lengths to which we are willing to go.

Which begs the question – “How extreme do you GO GREEN?” Do you rewash disposable plastic cutlery to keep it out of the landfill AND save money? Have you painstakingly folded up all of your paper and foil holiday/birthday decorations, despite their one-time-use status? What about saving your bathwater in order to irrigate the landscaping materials around your home? Have you been depositing all of your paper price tags and grocery receipts in a recyclable container -- ditto for plastic wrap and used plastic gift cards? Are you notorious for scrubbing out your Ziplock bags and hanging them to dry?

It’s CONFESSION TIME at Greenwala -- we want to hear what makes you tick and how extreme you’ve been in your green crusade. Please share your extreme green stories in the comments section below, whether you are confessing your own slightly wacky behaviors or those of your friends and family. Don't be shy -- stand up and be counted!